How to Transfer a WordPress website to another Host

This tutorial will give you a step by step process of safely moving your WordPress website and its contents to a new server on the same domain name. If you have recently changed your web hosting provider and want to transfer your WordPress site on to your new web hosting account there are a few steps you need to follow that includes moving the files, database and reconfiguration.

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STEP 1 – Download existing WordPress files

The first step is to perform a complete backup of the WordPress installation files. To download and backup the files you would need an FTP client such as Filezilla or you can do it from the admin panel/cPanel of your web hosting account. If you are using an FTP client you would need to create an FTP account from your cPanel.

Make sure you download all files including the .htaccess file which at times is hidden. Refer to your FTP clients help to view all files if you can’t see it. The files download will take about 10 – 15 minutes depending on your servers connection speed.

If you are experiencing a connection time out error from your server try to decrease the number of simultaneous transfers in the FTP clients connection settings.

STEP 2 – Export SQL Database

The second step is to backup and export your SQL database that’s connected to your site. To backup the SQL database login to your web hosting cPanel then go to SQL Databases and backup the database linked to your WordPress site.

There are 2 methods to backup the database. You can either login to phpMyAdmin with the login details in your wp-config file and export the database or you can simply select the backup option from your cPanel. In this case the database will be backed up automatically by your server and is placed in a backup folder. You can then download that backup using FTP.

STEP 3 – Upload website files to new server

After completing the backup you have to upload the WordPress files to your new host. You can do this exactly the same way you downloaded the files using an FTP client. Make sure you upload all files as missing files would effect the functionality of your website and cause WordPress to crash.

STEP 4 – Import SQL Database

The nest step is to import the SQL database you have backed up on to your new hosting account. First, create a new database from your web hosting cPanel. Remember to save the database name, user name and password as you would need this later on in STEP 5. Login to the database you have created using phpMyAdmin and import the database.

After import is complete you will see the database tables on the left side. If there any any errors during the import process you will see a notification along with the error number. In case of an error while importing the database its best to Google the error code and you can easily find out what’s causing the issue.

STEP 5 – Reconfiguration

After you have uploaded the files and database on to your new host the final step is to reconfigure the wp-config files which is located in your WordPress installation root folder. Open wp-config.php in notepad and locate the following lines.

define('DB_NAME', 'db_name');

define('DB_USER', 'db_user');

define('DB_PASSWORD', 'db_pass');

These lines will have the database login information from your old host. So you need to change them to your new settings. If you have not saved these simply login to your cPanel and go to databases. Click on the particular database you created earlier and you will find the required database login details.

How simply change the DNS settings of your domain and point it to the new host. The DNS settings would take 24 – 48 hours to propagate. After its complete your website will be accessible from your new server.

That’s it! You’re done. You have successfully moved your WordPress site on to a new host.

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